Displays such as billboards, mall displays, and pixellated displays, e.g., liquid crystal displays, are typically illuminated for viewing either from the rear of the display, i.e., "backlit," or from the front of the display using either ambient lighting or side lighting. When front lighting, also known as sidelighting, is used, a light source is provided at one or both sides of the display and is raised slightly above the plane of the display to allow the light to be directed down onto the display. However, because the height of the light source over the plane of the display is usually small compared with the length of the display, light rays from the light source strike the display at an angle of incidence approaching 90.degree. (i.e., tangent to the surface). As a result, most of the light is lost via glancing angle reflection at the display surface and is not available to the viewer.